Just off the Fantasy - Eastern Caribbean

[DMMarla07860]

Originally Posted by 4mousefans

*We participated in the "club" life every night, but I have to admit that I was disappointed with the experience on many nights. We LOVE "Match Your Mate" and the trivia...these games seemed to lack compared to what we experienced on the Magic. The guests participating were hilarious...it was more the staff that disappointed. Once the game/trivia/show ended, the staff disappeared. On the Magic, we really got to know our cruise staff and nearly every night or afternoon, found them chatting us up. We just didn't see that type of interaction from Robbie...however, Craig and Lindsay (Tube) as well as Ricardo and Ralston in the adult area really took the time to get to know us. Maybe it is because the ship was so large? I am not sure but I did miss that touch.

I haven't cruised the Disney Fantasy since April 2012, going again on March 16th and March 23rd cruises back-2-back, but I have to agree. I got to know the cruise staff more on the this summer, then I did on the Fantasy, though I knew a few from past cruises so when I last cruised Fantasy that made it better for talking with them. I think it is because the ship is so large. If your talking about the Robbie I met in April, that's awesome, he was one of the new ones that was my fave

[atbda]

When we sailed the Magic in 2006 we all agreed it was the most beautiful ship we had been on and the best cruise we had taken. However, we all agree that the Fantasy is our new favorite DCL ship. It is beautiful, the food is much better (in our opinion), EG is a step up from PC, the shows were fantastic and overall we felt like we had an amazing cruise on the Fantasy, more than on the Magic and much more than on the Wonder.

[maskw03]

Originally Posted by atbda

Hello everyone!

*In Castaway Cay we originally made the trek to Serenity Bay but the weather was windy and cold and the waves were large and uninviting so we walked back to the family beach where we relaxed on the beach the majority of the day. We ate at Cookies and then started walking back to the ship around 2pm. On the way back we noticed a large group of medical personnel gathered around on the beach. Later that evening we found out a man tragically passed from a heart attack which caused us to leave the island approximately 2 hours later. We felt so terribly sorry for the man and his family who had to end their cruise that way.

We actually saw a lot of this family as they were concierge and seemed like a great and very close family. They were enjoying a family reunion and I hope and pray in time they can find peace. They were all so nice and kind and i truly feel for all of them as they go through the next days/weeks/months. I felt horrible for our bartender as she saw it all and was so shaken after she just couldn't make it up for her 1st shift, don't blame her.

[gweeptrish]

Originally Posted by mrsgalles

What were some positive excursions for kids in San Juan

We're on the Jan 26th sailing too, with a 6 year old and a nearly-4 year old. We've heard that a good thing to do with kids is head over to the fort and buy a cheap kite from the street vendors to fly on the lawn in front of the fort. I think that may be what we end up doing.

[inmyis]

So glad to hear you all ad a great time. DW and I are on the Fantasy this Saturday for our Eastern Cruise. This is our 7th Disney cruise but only our second Eastern. We loved the Fantasy in May and are very excited!

[jenpink]

We were on this cruise as well and actually had a great time on our rainforest hike. I guess as in all things in depends on your tour guide. We stopped at the usual stops and when it came time to do the "hike" he gave us a choice. We could do the paved 20 minute walk as scheduled, or we could hike up a steep unmarked trail to a nice waterfall and pond that we could wade in. Our bus chose the steep hike and it was wonderful. We got the full rainforest experience for our $69. Then to top it off, our guide decided to take us on a tour of Old San Juan afterward with a short stop at El Morro for pictures. My 10 year old daughter had a great time and she didn't really want to go at all. After this tour, I walked along the city wall and got to see the colonies of feral cats including some kittens sunning themselves in the rocks. I had only great memories of San Juan

[KarenMP59]

Originally Posted by Totoro

Very good information. Sounds like you have done both the Magic and Fantasy. Curious which one you prefer and why? Thank you.

We've done the Wonder 5 times and the Fantasy once (so far). We definitely like the Fantasy better!! It's bigger and better in every way as far as we are concerned. After being on the Fantasy, we really wouldn't want to sail on the smaller ships again. That's just our opinion and I know some people really love the classic ships. We did too until we stepped on the Fantasy. Going back in 12 weeks

[jd1374]

I am cruising the 7 day San Juan cruise on 3/9 and wondering if you could share with me when your formal night was. We are trying to plan a couple of things for formal night and wanted to be sure we knew when it was. DCL can't seem to figure it out for us.

Any help would be great.

[DVCNuts]

We were on the 1/12/13 EC cruise to San Juan and our formal night was Sunday (second night) which is pretty typical. When you are in Old San Juan, go to Nono's for lunch! Highly recommended.

[KarenMP59]

Originally Posted by DVCNuts

We were on the 1/12/13 EC cruise to San Juan and our formal night was Sunday (second night) which is pretty typical. When you are in Old San Juan, go to Nono's for lunch! Highly recommended.

Thanks for the suggestion! We are doing the Segway tour so we will check out Nono's after for lunch

[OMD13]

Originally Posted by jd1374

I am cruising the 7 day San Juan cruise on 3/9 and wondering if you could share with me when your formal night was. We are trying to plan a couple of things for formal night and wanted to be sure we knew when it was. DCL can't seem to figure it out for us.

Any help would be great.

DH and are are on this cruise too. Getting so excited!

[mrsgalles]

We just got off the boat and formal night was Sunday semi formal was Thursday

[DanelleVT]

Hi, it's been awhile and never on the Fantasy, could you tell me which side of the ship the fireworks are on? Thanks

[LBrandy]

When we where on 3 weeks ago they where on the starboard side.

[Maple17]

Originally Posted by 4mousefans

Just off the Fantasy yesterday as well! It was a beautiful ship and the weather was overall super.

*We had cabin 7686, which is a 6B category and located aft. Felt some movement when the ship was docking or moving at full speed, but otherwise, this was a quiet and perfect location.

*Because of the cabin location, we found it convenient to the nightlife and the restaurants. The only down-side was being so far away from the adult areas and spa, located at the front of the ship.

*On the first day, we toured the spa and chose to purchase the Rainforest package for couples. This was AMAZING and we utilized the heated loungers, hot tubs, saunas and "rainforest" showers every day at least once. The locker area was wonderful to use in order to get ready for the day or dinner after time relaxing. Great bath products and lots of warm towels! The spa staff was super as well!

*I took advantage of having the shellac manicure and also getting my polish color on my toes changed (nice treat for only $16...it included a exfoiliating hand massage!). Alina was wonderful and the view from the spa was so relaxing...nothing like being pampered while staring out at the ocean or Castaway Cay!

*We used the adult areas most of the time on the ship...I did notice the large amount of traffic through the area because of the placement of the forward elevators, but have to say that children being in the area was not a problem. I saw crew approach parents on many occassions and politely, yet firmly, let them know that the area was adults only. Overall, it was wonderful though I do wish that the music was better. We listened to what seemed to be the five same "elevator" songs over and over and over again...for the entire cruise. It seemed so strange that the kids got "Carribean" music and Jimmy Buffet, while the adults got elevator music on all their spaces.

*Food was so good! Only one meal was disappointing, and that was corrected immediately by the wait staff and head waiter. The MDR were crowded and at times a bit loud, but that didn't take away from the experience. Our waitstaff, Naya and Horie, were wonderful and so much fun. By the second night, they had our drink choices waiting and were ready choices they thought we might enjoy. Our dining mates (friends that we made when we all cruised together last January) put in a special request for a coconut shrimp appetizer that I loved and wasn't on the menu...next day, over forty shrimp arrived at our table. YUM!

*We were so busy relaxing in the spa, that we only enjoyed one show, but the quality was wonderful and it was so neat to see. The theater on the Fantasy is two decks high and there were plenty of seats.

*We participated in the "club" life every night, but I have to admit that I was disappointed with the experience on many nights. We LOVE "Match Your Mate" and the trivia...these games seemed to lack compared to what we experienced on the Magic. The guests participating were hilarious...it was more the staff that disappointed. Once the game/trivia/show ended, the staff disappeared. On the Magic, we really got to know our cruise staff and nearly every night or afternoon, found them chatting us up. We just didn't see that type of interaction from Robbie...however, Craig and Lindsay (Tube) as well as Ricardo and Ralston in the adult area really took the time to get to know us. Maybe it is because the ship was so large? I am not sure but I did miss that touch.

*Our room hostess was good, but honestly not over-the-top. In fairness, she was new to the ship and still being trained...not to mention there appeared to be a huge language barrier. It wasn't awful or anything, like the adult clubs it was just different from the experiences that we had on the Magic and Wonder.

*The pool areas were crowded, especially in the family area, but we were able to enjoy a movie on Funnelvision and the Aquaduck. There are no loungers in the family area, just reclining chairs which added additional seating that was needed with more guests. The crew did an excellent job of keeping the area clean, moving lines along and making seating available.

*Loved our veranda and will find it hard if we ever have to go back to an inside stateroom. This was our first experience on the Fantasy and first veranda...I chose this category of stateroom so that if we needed it, we had a quiet place to go to enjoy the views. After booking, I read horror stories from people that had loud neighbors or problems with cigarette smoke...we experienced none of this. It was wonderful!

*Kellie, at the future cruise desk, was wonderful and so very patient. Be aware that Disney has put some restrictions on how many rooms you can book for future cruises and receive the 10% and OBC. We were only able to book one, which was disappointing. I was told that people were booking multiple cabins in the past and then "selling" them to others...now, to book a future cruise with perks, you must be on the ship.

*We did hear the word "excellent" quite a bit. Our wait staff especially seemed to be under a huge amount of pressure to get the excellent rating...they asked at every interaction if it was "excellent" or if there were things they could do to make us happy. After many times of telling them things were great, I finally told them that the excellence began the minute I stepped foot on the ship because we were just so happy and blessed to be on board...lol! Our tablemates agreed with us...it became a bit annoying to be asked so much about the excellent factor.

*In addition to the staff interaction with guests, we did miss seeing characters in random locations throughout the day. Unlike the experiences that we had on the Magic and Wonder, EVERY character interaction was scheduled and lines formed. I understand that on a ship this large there needs to be order, but we just missed those random interactions.

*Palos is not to be missed! Michael and Juan were wonderful...we thoroughly enjoyed brunch and dinner. I think that we tried everything on the menu and it was, well, wonderful! The restaurant is so over-the-top beautiful...the ocean views are private, no longer can people walk by and watch you eat. When there early in the week for lunch, I commented on a beautiful table in an alcove with a mural backing of Italy...Juan reserved that table for our party later in the week when we came for dinner. We felt like royalty!

*Ports were nice and we did a tour in San Juan to the Bacardi and Old San Juan...nice and would highly recommend it. In St. Thomas, we chose to take an excursion offered by a local...it was well worth it and much cheaper than the Disney-offered tours. Clem was a great tour guide and we have some spectacular photos to share.

*Castaway Cay day was not the warmest, but hey, how can it really ever be bad when you consider the winter weather I left at home? LOL We finally made it over to Serenity Bay...water was too cool for our taste, but the view was gorgeous. I did notice that things were beginning to look worn in terms of the loungers and chairs...they were really faded and worn. We also had a difficult time finding an XL t-shirt for my husband...they had sold out from the previous cruise we were told. Disney has added (or maybe it has always been there and we never ventured far enough to see it) some "flea" market type shops that sell "Bahamas" items like cheap tees, wind chimes...stuff you might find in a gift store on another island. We didn't care for that...but that is just a matter of preference and we moved along.

Definately a great cruising experience all the way around! We are booked on the Western leaving Jan. 4th with our Canadian friends and time just can't go fast enough!

The manicure was $16? Or was that to have your toes painted? On the boat next week and want to get this done!